1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to security apparatus in general and in particular to a security retaining member which is used in conjunction with an adhesive for retaining equipment and/or parts in a security apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
To prevent theft or unauthorized removal of equipment, security apparatus using cables and/or various types of key-operated housings in conjunction with brackets, bolts, adhesive pads, rubberized retaining members with an adhesive and the like, is used for mounting or otherwise attaching equipment to an underlying surface. For example, in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,197, entitled Equipment Security Method and Apparatus, assigned to the assignee of the present application, there is provided a base member and a cover member. The base member is attached to a vertical or horizontal surface by means of bolts or adhesive pads, plates and/or brackets as required in a particular installation. The cover member is removably attached to the base member by means of a key operated lock. The equipment to be secured is attached to the cover member by means of U-shaped rod members, bracket members with inwardly directed fingers for engaging holes in the sides of the equipment or the like.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,637 entitled Locking Device for Portable Equipment, bolts are disclosed for use in mounting a typewriter or the like in a secure fashion to an underlying housing in a security apparatus.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,763 entitled Security Device for Office Machines, foot members comprising rubber-like disks are disclosed for use in conjunction with an adhesive for mounting the disks to the undersurface of an office machine or the like for subsequent attachment to a housing in an underlying security device.
In applicant's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/844,795 entitled Equipment Security Apparatus, assigned to the assignee of the present application, retaining foot members comprising synthetic rubber coated perforated metallic washer-like members are disclosed for use in conjunction with an adhesive for mounting a computer or the like to a housing in an underlying security apparatus.
In still other prior known security systems, equipment is secured to a structure using an assembly of adhesive retaining members, such as those which use closed-cell foam pads, cables, padlocks and the like.
Rubber-like retaining and other types of adhesive members which have been used heretofore in security apparatus, such as described above, have typically comprised relatively large area closed-cell adhesive pads, solid rubber or synthetic rubber disks, rubber or synthetic rubber coated metallic disks, as well as rubber or synthetic rubber coated perforated metallic disks wherein the holes are provided for improving the adherence of the rubber or synthetic rubber coating to the disk, such as disclosed in applicant's above-identified U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/844,795.
It has been found that among the disadvantages of the prior known adhesive pads is the disadvantage that they can be easily cut using a garrote and that they typically require a large contact area in order to provide sufficient holding force.
Among the disadvantages of the prior known rubber-like disks is the disadvantage that, while they provide a substantial holding force for a relatively smaller contact area, e.g. 2 inches in diameter, the bond formed using customary adhesives for bonding the disks to a surface fail and/or the disk material is ruptured or torn apart when subjected to a relatively low magnitude of tensile force. For example, the adhesive bond using customary adhesives for even the strongest of the prior known rubber-like retaining members of the type which comprise a rubber-like coated metallic disk having holes for improving the adherence of the rubber-like material to the disk and having a diameter of approximately 2 inches has been found to fail and allow separation of the disk from a surface to which it is adhesively attached and/or for the rubber-like material to separate from the metallic disk under a relatively small tensile force of from 200 pounds to 400 pounds.